After B4
by Trainee Hero
Summary: B4 remembers his little brother. In an all too vivid way.
1. Chapter 1

B4 stared at the stars. They were very pretty. Little streaks of bright in the dark. He half smiled and kept staring. Geordi said that stars looked like suns if you saw them up close.

"Never saw the sun..." he crooned. "Never saw the sun..."

His brother had sung that. His little brother Data. B4 had been surprised to discover that Data had not been human. He had been nice.

"Shining so bright."

He turned and looked around the room. He wanted something blue in there. He liked blue. Dark, deep blue. Though he could not remember why.

"But it did happen..." He wondered why he had said that. "Tasha." Who was Tasha? She was special and important, who was she? Maybe she had worn blue.

Geordi was coming to see him today. Geordi was nice. He played games.

"The game is afoot." No, the game was Scrabble. Geordi said it would help to get the information that was in him out of his head. Apparently B4 knew things he did not know he knew and playing Scrabble and Sudoku and Chess would help him know he knew it.

"Poker would be...fun." What was poker? Maybe it was a game too. Perhaps Geordi would teach him.

Geordi had gotten sad the last time he had visited. B4 hoped it did not happen again. Geordi should be happy. Maybe if he acted more like Data, Geordi would not be sad around him.

B4 went to the replicator. "One violin." Once it materialised, he began to play. Perhaps this was one of the things he had not known he knew. But he knew now. He hoped Geordi would be happy that he was getting better.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

A.N. In this story, Geordi is the one taking care of Spot. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. :) You guys make this all worthwhile. Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek TNG.

Geordi pressed the chime for B4's quarters. He quickly punched in his override when there was no answer, frightened that Data's brother had malfunctioned. What he saw and heard when he stepped into the main area made him feel like he had gone back in time. And he so wanted to keep that feeling.

B4 was standing with his back to the door, playing the violin. The haunting notes wafted round the room, filling it with atmosphere and life. Geordi almost believed that Data had come back from the dead just so he could play. Any minute now he would turn around and say...

"I am getting better Geordi." B4 looked at him with childlike enthusiasm. "You said I knew things that I did not know I knew but now I know that I know this." He held out the violin and it's bow in his golden hands. "It is pretty, is it not?"

Geordi stared at the instrument, then up at B4. "Yes B4, it's pretty." _'This is going to be harder than I thought.' _It had taken two weeks and several double-takes before Geordi had stopped thinking 'Data' whenever he looked at the golden android. If B4 started _behaving _like Data, things could get emotionally bumpy.

"I think I am getting better. And if I get better, you will not be sad any more." B4 spoke in such a childlike way, it was hard to imagine that he was actually a highly advanced machine. Even his logic was childlike.

_'Is this what Data was like when he was first created?' _thought Geordi. _'Was he this childlike?' _It was hard to think of his genius best friend as a childish person. Data had always been so sensible. Well, almost always. Geordi gave a small smile as he remembered Data's attempt to grow a beard. And his several attempts to understand humour. And his training of Spot. Suddenly picturing Data like that wasn't so hard. His smile grew.

B4 flashed a smile. "I knew you would be pleased." he said. "I am happy that you are happy. And everyone will be happy too when you tell them that I am getting better. Make sure to tell Tasha as well. I think she should know."

Geordi abruptly stopped smiling. "What did you say?"

"Tasha should know that I am getting better. I do not know who she is, only that she is important and special, so she should know. Was she friends with my brother?"

Geordi stared at B4. _'How does he know about Tasha? It's impossible.' _"B4, Tasha died years ago. I can't tell her."

B4 cocked his head to the side in an eerily familiar way. "Tasha is not here any more?"

Geordi shook his head. "No B4, Tasha hasn't been here for years."

B4 nodded. Doctor Crusher and Counsellor Troi-Riker had told him about death after it had happened to Data. They said it was like going away. "We shall have to tell Tasha when she comes back from the place dead people go to."

"B4," Geordi put his hand on the android's shoulder, "when people die, they don't come back. They can't."

"Why do they leave if they cannot come back? Were they not happy? Data seemed happy."

"They don't choose to die, it just happens. Data was happy here, but he died to save Captain Picard's life. He had no choice about it. But if he had, I think he would have chosen to stay."

B4 nodded. He understood. Data had to go so Captain Picard would not have to and he could not come back. Tasha could not come back either. These thoughts made him very sad. Lal could not come back either. He started to cry. He did not know who these people were, but their absence was...heartbreaking. He kept crying.

"B4, are you all right?" Geordi looked worriedly at him. B4 shook his head and carefully set down the violin and bow. He looked up at Geordi and wiped his eyes. "Can I pet Spot for a while please? I believe that would make me feel better."

"Okay. You go to my quarters and pet Spot for a while. I'll be there shortly."

"You are not coming?"

"No, I have to speak with Captain Picard. I wont be long. Will you be fine on your own?"

B4 nodded again. "I will be all right. I shall see you there." He stepped past Geordi and out the door, still wiping his eyes.

Geordi hit his comm badge. "La Forge to Captain Picard."

"Picard here."

"Captain, can I talk to you for a minute. There may be a problem with B4."


	3. Chapter 3

"So B4 is starting to behave like Data?" Captain Picard asked, staring at Geordi across the ready room table.

"Not just behaving, sir. He's _remembering. _He even asked me to tell Tasha that he was getting better. And he has suddenly become a talented violinist. Captain, I think he somehow...has Data's memory playing through him." Geordi had risen and started to pace. 

Sensing that La Forge's attitude was more personal than professional, Picard stood and came around the desk. He put his hand on the chief engineer's shoulder.

"Geordi, if B4 has somehow managed to...remember being Data, there could be some serious problems. We both know that his neural net is less advanced than Data's was. His whole system could fail because of this."

Geordi looked up at the captain. He knew it was true. With B4's less advanced brain, he might not be able to process Data's memories properly. Data had had a very varied and hectic life. The intensity of those experiences could short circuit B4's unprepared and unprotected brain. 

"Like what happened with Lal." he replied, remembering Data's daughter slowly breaking down. "B4 is in my quarters right now. Should I move him to engineering for study?"

"No, Commander. Just keep a close eye on him for now. If the situation escalates I want to be informed immediately. Then you can move him to engineering and see if anything can be done for him."

"Aye sir."

"Dismissed."

Geordi walked quickly through the Enterprise-E corridors, trying to get back to his quarters in as little time as possible without raising a panic. When people saw the Chief Engineer running, they tended to assume the worst. He was very worried about B4, though. He had grown quite fond of him over the past six months, even though the only reason he decided to care for B4 was because he felt obligated to Data's memory. 

If B4 had been anyone else's brother, he would have been sent to the Daystrom Institute months ago. And yet when the decision had to be made, Geordi had been unable to let him go. B4 had turned and looked at him and done the unthinkable. He'd _cocked_ his _head_. And Geordi said he would take care of him before he even knew he had thought he was going to do it.

Geordi reached his quarters and keyed himself in. "B4? I'm here." he called out. There was no reply. "B4? Are you here?" He gave a quick scan of the room, but there was no sign of him. "B4?"

Geordi walked further into the room, looking for signs of the android's presence. There was a chess board on the table, and the pieces were there too. They were scattered haphazardly across the top, and some of the pieces were strewn on the floor, as if someone had thrown them and run. One of the chairs was upturned, the headrest lying along the floor. It was pointing towards the door to his bedroom.

Geordi's suspicions were confirmed when Spot came trotting out, her ginger tail swishing. He dodged around the tabby and entered the other room.

There was a large lump in the centre of the bed, hidden under the blanket. Soft sobbing sounds could be heard emanating from it, matching the rhythm of the quakes that would run through it every few seconds.

Geordi crossed over to the hunched shape and pulled gently on the blanket. There was a flash of a gold hand as the blanket was pulled tighter.

Geordi was really worried. He put his hand on the top of the heap, feeling the shape of B4's head beneath his palm. "B4, come on. Come out of there."

"No. I do not want her to come and get me."

"Who 'her'? Who are you afraid of?"

B4 poked the top of his head out. His yellow eyes were tear filled and frightened, fixing on Geordi in the instant he said "The scary lady." before they were pulled down under the blanket again.

Geordi frowned. "The scary lady?"

The blanket moved as B4 nodded underneath it. "She is really really bad. She cannot get me or she will make me bad too. She is full of black and green and no warmth at all and she wishes to make everyone like her."

'_The Borg Queen?' _Geordi thought. '_Oh no...'_

"She is evil and horrible and cruel and _I hate her so much! _But she frightens me and I do not want her to find me."

Geordi then did something that was supposed to have helped. "B4, it's all right. You're safe. The scary lady is dead."

It didn't.

Geordi jumped back as B4 catapulted out of the bed. The android's eyes were wild and almost panicky.

"She cannot be dead! She cannot have gone to the dead place! My brother and Tasha and Lal and Father will not be safe! She will try to hurt them. She will hurt Data again. We have to do something to stop her!"

Geordi grabbed the android's arms, trying to stop him flailing and knocking something over. B4 was acting like a child who had just woken up from a nightmare. In a sense, that was what happened. And Geordi had no idea what to do._ 'Okay, think. What would you say to a child in a situation like this?' _"B4, it's all right! The Borg Queen went to a different dead place. A place where she can't hurt anyone any more."

B4 stopped flailing and stared at Geordi. He cocked his head in a far too familiar way and a look of puzzlement came over his face. Geordi noticed he was standing a bit straighter, his head lifted at a slightly different angle. He almost looked like...

"Good. I am glad she cannot hurt anyone. Especially not Data. He was just lucky he could stop her with the green stuff last time. She almost killed Captain Picard but he hit the box it was in and melted her away." B4 looked happy and proud as he remembered his brothers heroism.

Geordi however, was having a very different reaction. _'How can he know what Data did_?' Then it hit him. The memory transfer Data preformed when B4 first came to them had started working. Data's memories were being played out in B4's head. He remembered Captain Picard's instructions. "B4, would you like to come with me and see Engineering?"

B4 nodded, his face morphing from admiration for his brother to childish enthusiasm at the prospect of seeing the place where Geordi worked.

"Okay, let's go then." Geordi motioned for B4 to follow and led the way to Engineering.


	4. Chapter 4

B4 stared around him, taking in all the sights and sounds of Engineering. He didn't know what all this stuff was, but he liked the way they flashed and hummed. He would like to work here someday like Geordi did. It must be really great.

"Come on B4, come and see this." Geordi took his hand and lead him into a little side room with consoles on all sides. "Just sit down here for a second. I need to call Captain Picard and let him know we're down here."

"Okay." B4 smiled and nodded, then turned his head and stared at the swirling colours in the warp core. They were really pretty. Maybe he could paint it someday.Lots of pretty blues, all twisting into each other. And that nice dark blue as well, the one he really liked. It seemed to chase away all thoughts of the scary lady, like the memories couldn't be in his head at the same time. Blue was going to be his favourite colour, he could tell.

Geordi looked back at his android friend and sighed. "LaForge to bridge. Captain, we have a problem with B4. Data's memory transfer has started working and B4 is living them."

"I'll be right down Commander. Picard out."

Geordi turned and went back into his office. B4 was sitting where he had been left, only now he held a pad in his hand. _'He must have picked it up from my desk.' _thought Geordi. "What are you reading B4?"

B4 looked up and smiled. "This report is very interesting, Geordi. Ensign Wilcox says that we could increase the power of the photon torpedoes by changing the outer casing to a lighter material that will detonate easier. It is an interesting idea, however, the alloy he suggests would be likely to break up when the torpedo is fired. A modification to the nose of the standard torpedo casings would have much the same effect with less risk to the crew."

Geordi was stunned. This was impossible. So far B4 random bursts of memory from Data had been of places and people, not of technical knowledge and expertise. He felt his fear for B4 rising. He was just about to start a diagnostic when Captain Picard entered.

"Commander, what's happening? Is B4 all right?" He gestured in B4's direction.

"I am fine Captain. I was just about to tell Geordi about the modifications to the torpedo casings." B4 smiled again.

Captain Picards face became a mixture of wonder, confusion and worry. He swiftly brought himself under control, pushing his emotions to the back of his mind. His worries about B4 being on board the ship had swiftly dissipated once the android had been on board for about a month. Everyone had had reservations about him at first, but he seemed to worm his way into their hearts. You started to like him before you even knew you gotten used to him. Captain Picard just hoped his worries now would disappear as easily.

"B4, how did you know what modifications could be made to the torpedo casings?" he asked. "Did you remember something? Something that Data did?"

B4 shook his head. "No sir. I did not remember it."

Geordi and Captain Picard both breathed sighs of relief. If B4 was learning things on his own instead of remembering them from Data, the less likely it was for his positronic net to be damaged. But his next words made them worry anew.

"I did not remember about the casings from Data. He told me."


	5. Chapter 5

Beverly Crusher sat back in her chair. Her talk with Jean-Luc had left her stunned and confused. He had told her everything that had been happening with B4, starting with his violin playing the week before. Beverly was no less than blown away by the news that Data may be resurrecting himself through his brother. But her already confused feelings had been shaken up even further by Jean-Luc's next words.

"B4 is becoming mentally unstable. He'll go into wild fits of emotion then suddenly calm himself. Whenever anyone asks him what made him calm down he says that 'Data had helped him'. Whenever he says something brilliant and highly advanced about a project or theory he says that Data told him about it. He has become a schizophrenic."

Jean-Luc had ended the communique half an hour ago and Beverly had not moved from her chair since. His final question to her still played through her head. "I don't know what to do Beverly. How do you cope with a schizophrenic android?"

Beverly wound a lock of her red hair around her fingers and leaned her elbows on her desk. A tear slid down her cheek and onto her hand. Another soon followed it. Soon she was crying full out. And the worst thing was that she had no idea why.

She missed Data. She missed the Enterprise. She missed her friends. Oh, she loved her work and she loved the kids that constantly threw questions at her, but the Enterprise had been home for so long. Wesley had grown up so much during his time there. Data had taught him so much...

She broke down and sobbed. She wanted Data back! She wanted to go dancing with him. She gave a bitter-sweet chuckle. She'd always found it funny that an android as sophisticated as Data still had to look at his feet when he was dancing. She wanted to laugh with him. Looking back on it, that incident on the holodeck had been a _bit_ funny. She wanted him to know that she missed him. She missed him very much.

Beverly didn't know how long she stayed sitting there, only that she cried until no more tears were left.

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B4 ran the crayon gently down the page. He wished Data could draw this, he was so much better at it. But Data could not draw now. His advice about shading techniques was very useful though.

B4 knew that people could not come back from the dead place. However, on board the _Enterprise _people often sent communications to each other over a screen or wrote letters. So Data must just be sending him messages from the dead place.

The messages were getting better too. They were clearer than they had been at the beginning. Especially when he slept. Then he could see Data too.

B4 checked his internal chronometer. It was almost time to go to bed. He put his crayon back in its box and left the room. He left the picture where it was so that Geordi could see it when he came to check up on him. B4 was glad that he did not have to stay in Engineering. It was a nice place, full of pretty things, but this place was his...home.

B4 removed his shoes and changed into a pair of soft blue cotton pyjamas. His slid under the blankets and shut his eyes. "Goodnight, brother." he said.

"_Goodnight, brother." _said Data.


	6. Chapter 6

Geordi walked into B4's quarters, rubbing his eyes. He felt so tired he was practically sleepwalking. The stress of the past week was catching up with him in a very big way. Along with the constant headache in his temples he endured because of his optical implants, he also had a migraine. A week of worry that your friend may suddenly drop dead in front of you was enough to exhaust any man. As soon as he had checked on B4 he was going back to his quarters, putting on his pyjamas and crawling into bed. Or maybe he'd just collapse on top of the bed and save himself the trouble.

He pulled out his tricorder and was about to enter B4's sleeping area when the crayons on the desk caught his eye. Geordi crossed the room to the desk and picked up the small sheet of replicated paper. What he saw sent a shiver through his body.

The artistic, yet very childish drawing was of three people standing together, though one of them was hovering a few feet above the ground and just behind the gold skinned figure. In simple black script at the bottom were the words _Data, Geordi and me._

B4 had drawn them all together, Data hovering just behind like a golden angel, watching over his brother and his friend.

"_I did not remember about the casings from Data. He told me."_

Geordi felt his heart sink down into his boots. Not only was B4 schizophrenic, he believed he was being guided by his dead brother. He dropped the paper back onto the desk. Even that simple movement seemed to reflect his mood.

He automatically pulled out his tricorder and went into B4 sleeping area. B4 was sleeping on his side, the blanket pulled up around his shoulders. His face was peaceful and almost smiling in his dreams. Geordi almost cried. B4 had hardly begun to live and he was already unstable. He ran the tricorder over the sleeping android and checked the readings. Everything seemed normal, well as normal as B4's readings ever were. There was a slight increase of activity in his positronic net, but that had been increasing gradually for months now.

With his shoulders slumped, Geordi left the room. He'd tell Captain Picard about the drawing in the morning.

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"Commander, why didn't you tell me about this last night?"

Captain Picard stared across his desk at Geordi. His chief engineer looked exhausted and run down. Clearly he wasn't the only one having a difficult week.

"Sir," Geordi began, "I thought it was only a minor development. I thought it was just a window into what we've already seen."

"Yes Commander, but any developments with B4 may be important!" Picard snapped.

Geordi was stunned. The Captain hardly ever lost his temper like that. "I'm sorry, sir."

Picard sighed and put his head in his hands. He knew he had to tell Geordi about the communique from the Daystrom Institute sooner or later, but this was _sooner. _"I'm sorry for loosing my temper Geordi. But I have some news that I know no-one will be glad to hear."

Geordi was immediately alert. "What is it sir?"

"We will be rendezvousing with the _Titan_ in one week."

Geordi was confused. Why would a rendezvous with the_ Titan _be a bad thing? Everyone would be happy to see Will and Deanna again.

The confusion on his face forced Picard to get straight to the point. "They're transporting Bruce Maddox here so that he can 'inspect' B4's progress."

Geordi felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.

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B4 sat up in bed. He felt the desire to stretch, though he couldn't feel stiff. It just seemed like the right thing to do, so he did. He got up and changed into his day-wear, then went over to the mirror so he could comb his hair back.

He picked up the comb and stared at his reflection. _'Strange,' _he thought _'it feels like Data is always just behind me, yet I cannot see him. I wonder why that is?' _

He combed his hair and then went over to the view-port. The stars shot past in silver streaks and B4 smiled. He and Data both began to sing.

"Never saw the sun,

Shining so bright,

Never saw things,

Going so right,

Watching the days,

Hurrying by,

When you are in love,

My how they fly."

B4 felt Data slip a bit further back. "I am sorry, brother. I should not have sang."

"_It is all right, brother. The more I practice, the easier it will be to communicate. Eventually, I believe I will be able to return."_

"Geordi said that people could not come back once they were dead."

"_Sometimes miracles happen, brother."_

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Will Riker stared at Bruce Maddox. If looks could kill, Maddox would have been instantly cremated. Maddox however, just smirked smugly.

"We both know, Captain Riker, that this new android is a very fortunate discovery, considering Mr Data's destruction."

Will hated the man's tone. He spoke of Data's death with the same tone of voice you would use to say 'oh dear, I've got a hangnail.' It had been several years since they had last spoken, but Bruce Maddox was still as insufferable as he had been when they had first met. Not a time that Will Riker liked to remember.


	7. Chapter 7

Will stormed into his quarters, cursing the fact that he couldn't slam the door. Just thinking about Maddox and his high and mighty attitude was enough to make his blood boil, but spending several hours in his company left him wondering how fast his internal organs would have to work in order to replace all of the evaporated liquid.

Deanna sat up from the sofa, the emotions she was feeling from her husband pulling her out from her own thoughts. "Will..." she called gently. "Will, are you...?"

"Please, Deanna, don't ask if I'm all right. I'm not." Will crossed the room and sat next to her on the sofa. Deanna wrapped her arm around his shoulders, trying to sooth his anger. She jumped when he slammed his hand against the armrest.

"That man is a royal pain in the ass! He's talking about B4 as if he's some sort of godsend for him and his buddies at the Institute. Maddox is going to try anything and everything just so he can take B4 apart!" Will was shouting now, his face like thunder. The memory of Data's trial was burning through his mind, the images renewed by Bruce Maddox' presence. Data may have forgiven him, but Will had never really forgiven himself.

Deanna sighed and bit her lip. She felt her husband's pain deeply, his anger and his guilt and his frustration lancing through her mind. She had planned to tell Will the news tonight, but it could wait. "Imazadi," she whispered in his ear, "Bruce Maddox is not going to disassemble B4. He would have to beat his way through at least two of Starfleet's finest officers in order to do so. Both you and Captain Picard are going to fight him. You saved Data, you can save his brother." She smiled at him.

Will gave an almost smile back, but his face clouded over again almost instantly. "It just frustrates me. He's acting like he's above the rest of us, like we don't see on his face what he wants to do. And he's acting like he can't be stopped."

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B4 sat in his quarter, his knees pulled up to his chest. He was shaking. Geordi had just told him that Bruce Maddox was coming. And B4 was terrified.

He knew what Bruce Maddox had tried to do, what he was going to try to do. _'What is going to happen to me? I am not as smart as Data, nor as brilliant. What if Bruce Maddox cannot be stopped?'_

B4 knew that death happened. He knew it was like going away. He knew you were supposed to go somewhere nice when it happened. So why did the thought of it happening scare him so much?

Data pushed himself forward. It was getting easier to get through and he was able to stay for longer periods of time. Soon they would be able to tell the others. But first...

_'Brother,' _he began, _'I am here. You do not have to be worried. Bruce Maddox will not disassemble you, just as he did not disassemble me.'_

"But I am not..."

_'You have just begun to live. I was not created and then immediately become intelligent. You are brilliant, brother. You just have not had time for it to become apparent.' _

B4 smiled. "I am glad you are here, brother. Having a family is good."

_'Yes, it is good.' _

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Geordi paced up and down his quarters, his mind racing. He tried to run through scenarios of how meeting Maddox would go when he came aboard, but everytime he did Geordi pictured himself punching Maddox in the face.

Geordi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as another scenario came to mind. Maddox would step off the transporter pad, his face smug and superior, and then Geordi would knock that look right of with a well placed right to the nose...

He slammed his fist into the wall, then winced at the pain. He was unaccustomed to feeling this violent and didn't know what to do about it.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Spot rubbed against his leg in a rare show of affection. He looked down at the orange tabby and ran his hand across her back. He picked her up and walked over to his desk, suddenly knowing what to do. He knew hat Maddox was planning, so he might as well plan his counter strike.


	8. Chapter 8

B4 sat in Captain Picard's Ready Room, his eyes fixed on Bruce Maddox. Despite Data's encouragement, he felt scared. This man had the power to decide whether he lived or died. This man could kill him.

Data felt wary. B4 had not had time to learn the complexities of facial expressions, but Data knew what the look Maddox was giving meant. It looked like the expression a starving man would have if he was sat down in front of a five course banquet. Data hated it.

Captain Picard felt his jaw tighten as he looked at Maddox. The man had no conscience, he was certain. He hadn't learned a thing from Data's trial, he had just been biding his time. And now he thought that time had come. They had presented their arguments in B4's favour, yet Maddox seemed unmoved.

Will Riker glared at the back of Maddox' head, wishing his stare could burn a hole through it. He wished Maddox would get shot, a container fall on him, a bad case of food poisoning! Anything to stop him being there. Anything to get him away from B4.

Geordi wanted to do nothing more than put his arm around B4 shoulders and take him out of there. B4 deserved so much better than this. He was a sentient android and should be able to make his own decisions! This 'inspection' was a complete travesty. It went against everything Starfleet stood for. And Geordi LaForge was going to stop it.

Deanna sat by her husband, her whole body tense from the emotions she felt in the room. All the hate concentrated on Maddox was enough to give her a migraine along with that morning's bout of nausea. And B4's fear was strong enough to shake her to her bones. He was petrified of what was happening. Yet there was something... Something in the background that was hating Maddox along with the rest of them...

"Allow me to be frank, Captain Picard." said Maddox, "B4 is not only of no use to you or your crew, it's also mentally unstable. It has become a schizophrenic and it's condition is escalating. Turning it over to the Institute for study would be the best course of action."

Maddox use of pronouns was not lost on anyone. Will felt himself itching for his phaser. Deanna wanted to shout. Geordi wanted to punch Maddox in the head. Jean-Luc wanted to demand that Maddox leave his ship. B4 wanted to go home and cry. Data wanted to...

B4 shook with the force of Data's rage and his own fear. He had never felt his brother like this before. Data had always seemed so calm. _'No-one has ever talked about you like that before, brother.'_

Deanna gripped the armrest of her chair. The rush of hate she felt made her vision blur. And she was frightened to realise that whatever it was at the back of B4's mind wasn't going to stay there for very long.

"Commander Maddox," began Captain Picard, his voice strained with the effort of being polite, "B4 is a sentient being with the right to choose what happens to him..."

"Whether or not it is sentient has still to be determined, Captain. Besides, he has already been deemed unstable and, as you well know, an unstable android is a very dangerous thing." Maddox smirked.

Everyone's faces turned from barely controlled anger to shocked understanding. Maddox was going to tell the Federation Council that B4 was unstable and dangerous and that taking him apart was for the safety of everyone.

B4 began trembling. His voice shook as he whispered, "I am not dangerous. I do not want to hurt anyone. I am not dangerous. I do not want to hurt anyone. I am not dangerous. I do not want to hurt anyone..."

"So you see, Captain Picard, Captain Riker, B4 must be disassembled. It's for the best." Maddox face was triumphant. He stood up and walked over to B4. "Come along, B4. It's time to go."

B4 stopped mumbling and closed his eyes. 'What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I...?

His eyes snapped open as he felt a tingle run down from his head to his toes. B4 closed his eyes.

Data opened them.

He stood up from his chair and stared Maddox in the eyes. "I cannot allow you to harm my brother, Maddox." His voice was like a quiet roll of thunder. It seemed to resonate around the room and fill the air itself with an unspoken threat.

Picard, Riker and LaForge stared at him, their confusion plain. Deanna however, knew exactly what she was sensing. She just didn't know if she could believe it. "Data...?"

Data turned to look at his friends. His face broke into a smile. "Yes, it is me. I have come back." He turned back to Bruce Maddox and was pleased to note that the skinny little weasel looked frightened.


	9. Chapter 9

_Six months later..._

Data walked down the corridor, his steps still slightly clumsy. This body, though almost identical to his previous one, needed some getting used to. It was like wearing in new shoes.

He hoped B4 would like his present. It wasn't much, but B4 said he wanted to do more puzzles. Data entered the quarters he now shared with his brother and saw said brother staring out the view-port.

B4 turned and saw his brother at the door. He knew he should not feel sad, yet he did. Data had gotten a new body, with Commander Maddox' help. He had seemed very willing to help them when he realised what was happening. Data threatening to tell Starfleet Command that Maddox had not fully investigated the source of B4's 'schizophrenia' before diagnosing him unstable might have helped with that.

He was happy that Will and Deanna were going to have a baby girl. He was very happy to learn that they planned to name her Natasha.

He was happy that Geordi was happy. After Data came back, B4 had seen him smile a lot more.

He was happy. He had so much to be happy for. And yet he was sad.

"I have a gift for you brother." Data said, coming forward and sitting opposite B4. And B4 realised why he was sad.

He missed the closeness he had shared with Data when Data was only in his head. He missed having Data all to himself.

But as he looked at the object Data was holding, he realised he had lost nothing. So he spent the rest of the day with his brother, learning how to play with the Rubix Cube.


End file.
